Fire-escape.



` y www@ FIREV ESCAPE.

1122110111011 FILED 11017. 12, 1901. l

` no MODEL.

WITNESSES; INVENTOH ATTORNEY PATENTED MAR. 1 7, 1903.`

UNITED STATES l Al-ATENT ENCE.

DAVID BROWN, oF'JERsEY crrY, NEW JERSEY, AssIGNoR on' oNE-HALF To CHARLES H. eooDFiELD, E NEW YoRK, N. Y.

FIRE-ESCAPE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 723,194, dated March 17', 1903. Application led November 12.1901. Serial No. 82.050. (No model.)

To @ZZ whom it may concern,.-

Beit known that l, DAVID BROWN, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Jersey City,

`ready for use as a nre-escape.`

in the county ofl-Iudson and State of New Jersey, have invented new and usefullmprove-V ments in Fire-Escapes, of which the following portion of railing cZis provided with a gape.`

To the bottom b are pivoted the links f, which are pivoted to the side bars g of the ladder. The 'ladder is provided with side steps or rungs h, which are pivoted to. the side bars g g', and also front steps or rungs t', which are fastened to lthe side bars g. The ladders can' be operated or counterbalanced by means of a weight j. The linksfhave fastened to them the railing lo and bottom Z, which form` a continuation of the balcony-railing when the ladder is open or ready for use.` (See Fig. l.) When the ladder is swung up or closed,

(see Fig. 2,)Vthe ladder and the bottom of the Y railing k close the gap in the balcony-railing. When the swinging platform or bottom Z is swung into position for use, it forms a continuation of or is ona level with the floor or fixed platform b, and the fixed and movable railings d and Z.; are continuous to one another, so as to guide the user to the gap e, leading to the ladder. The links f forming in reality part of the movable balcony-floor and being of suitable length, the outer ladder-section g is held a suitable distance from the wall or `house to be clear of smoke or flame. This outer or front section g of the ladder has the lateral sections or rounds made to extend from the outer ladder-section toward the swinging platform or jointed to the outer laddersection on the side facing the platforms. Such inner ladder-sections give an increased capacity to the ladder and also fill the gap 0r space between the outer ladder-section and the platforms. Escape is thus made safe or easy on account of the continuous arrangement or contiguity between the xed and movable platforms and lheladdersections. Y

When not in use or closed up, the device is safe, since, as noted, the swinging balconylloorZ in that case closes gap e or comes to line with or forms a continuation or closure for railingd. Such bottom Z when raised or closed comes into the vertical plane in which lies railing eZ. The ladder and movable platform or balcony1 can be held raised by the chain m, wound by dru m fn, and held by ratchet and pawl o p. The pawl p may have a release chain or rope accessible at the Various t floors of the building, so that in case of lire the occupants at any floor or locality can release the pawl for the ladder to drop or swing into use.

SomeV modi fications can be made in the structure. The ladder could be formed with the rungs c' as separate pieces from rungs h, or the rungs h 7l could each be formed integral or from one rod or piece of material suitably bent or shaped to form front and lateral branches.V l

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

A lire-escape comprising a stationary platform, a swinging platform suitably connected thereto, outwardly-projecting links carried by said swinging platform, a pair of Vertically-extending bars arranged between the outer end of the sides of the swinging platform, a pair of vertically-extending bars arranged between the outer end of said links and pivotally connected to the outer end of said links, horizontally-extending rungs for connecting together the pair of bars arranged between the said links, laterally-extending rungs adapted to pivotally connect the bars arranged between the links to the bars arranged between the sides of said swinging platform, and means connected to one of the horizontally-extending rangs and adapted my hand in the presence of two subscribing when operated to fold said swinging platform Witnesses.

against said stationary platform and to fold T the bars extending between the links upon DAVID BRO N the bars extending between the swinging plet- Witnesses: form. OHAS. E. POENSGEN,

E. F. KASTENHUBER.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set 

